If you were to ask an American to think of a cable car and its location, to really visualize it, most would have no problem. Many might respond with a picturesque cable car at a tourist site or ski lodge, to take visitors up to a special and beautiful place on top of a mountain. The reality of this visualization would be valid and likely would be coupled with scenes of clean, white, powdery snow or lush green mountainside forests. Now, if you had asked that person to visualize the same technology in a barrio, many would struggle. Questions would arise like ‘How could that be possible in such poor areas?’ ‘Who would even fund it?’ ‘Would people even know how to use it?’ ‘How could a city have the infrastructure to build and maintain such a large project?
Prior to the Colombia Social Entrepreneurship practicum, the concept of social innovation was slowly coming into focus for me. The previous semester at the Kroc School, I had begun to explore the ideas of rethinking entrepreneurship for social benefit. Courses like Social Innovation, Design Thinking and Social Entrepreneurship greatly prepared me for the practicum by looking at how systems are intertwined into everyday life. The itinerary was filled with community organization site visits in both Bogota and Medellin. As I prepared for the course, I read an article highlighting the work of Medellin’s cable cars. The innovation of an inter-network of cable cars connecting some of the poorest neighborhoods to physical mobility within the bustling city was unlike anything I had read before.
As our group boarded the plane from Bogota to Medellin, I reflected on what we had seen and experienced so far in our practicum. The excitement grew when I learned we would have the opportunity to visit the cable cars. When I first saw the Metro immediately after landing in Medellín, the sights and sounds truly took my breath away. Seeing the steep mountain side communities with multiple cable cars gliding through the air is a testament to the engineering skills the local builders possess.
The next day, a site visit took us back to the Metro. The group had the opportunity to meet Andres Fernandez, an employee of the company, at a Metro line station. Andres shared that over thirty years ago, when the Metro was first being implemented, a tile art piece of the Virgin Mary, was strategically erected with two purposes. Primarily, it offered protection to all of the commuters in their daily travels and secondly, it helped to create buy-in from cartels and the community so as to not hurt the station.
As we boarded Line A Metro, it was immediately clear how well kept the cabin and stations were. There was no trash, graffiti, spilled food or yelling. Andres explained this as the Metro culture. It is a culture of pride, belonging and ownership that each local commuter participates in. This means cleanliness is next to godliness. I was truly speechless as I had never utilized a public transportation system that was so well maintained and clean. As we left the station and transferred to a cable car line, the group was shown two social initiatives in partnership with the Metro. To help commuters who are struggling with mental health challenges and who are considering taking their life through means of the Metro, Como La Vida, was born.
It is a free service that connects certified psychologists to the people. Care and follow up is taken to ensure progress is made and as of 2026, over 300 people have received intervention. The second social initiative I experienced was a library in Hace Vero Station. I met the friendly Julio, a library patron of Hace Vero, and he shared with me how much he loves having the library station as part of daily life. As Julio shared, I observed how beautifully designed the small, but intentional space was. It felt modern and fresh, not stale and an afterthought. The library staff member shared that people can access computers as well as check out books or just rest if they need. As we exited the library, the nestled space truly shines as a beacon of hope and creativity.
The reality is many who ride the Metro have also lived through the violence of drug cartels. And yet the fabric of Colombia is weaved of creative, hopeful and resilient people. I strongly believe that the iconic symbol of the cable car in Medellín shows a freedom of transportation for the daily commuter. The Metro helps to restore trust into the local government, knowing that their constituents are cared for and deserve equitable access to socioeconomic mobility. From being terrified of leaving your home to now having the mobility to move within your own city is a beautiful image of innovation, peace and sustainability.
The Colombian practicum of formal and informal learning surrounding the Metro de Medellín has taught me how social innovation does not always have to be a new idea. I am inspired to see that social progress is everyone’s responsibility. It cannot solely be on the people affected by violence and poverty to ‘figure it out alone’.